The Sinocism China Newsletter 06.30.14

"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

China’s Xi Urges Asian Security Framework to Counter U.S. – Bloomberg Asia for Asians, with China at the core. Has Beijing asked the other Asian nations, beyond the neo-tributary states of Cambodia and Laos, what they think? //  “We should work for a new architecture of Asia-Pacific security cooperation that is open, transparent and equal, and bring all countries into a common endeavor to maintain peace and security in our region and the world,” Xi said. “The notion of dominating international affairs belongs to a different age and such an attempt is doomed to failure.” Xi last month outlined his vision for regional stability and a new security concept at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. The group, known as CICA, comprises more than 20 mostly Asian nations from Turkey to South Korea that aims to improve cooperation on peace and security in the region. Japan and the U.S. are observers.

Related: Xi harks back to China’s 1950s foreign policy | The World China is now putting forward a revived vision for how it can use its growing power — at the same time as tensions are flaring along its maritime borders. But it is mixing modern approaches like a fund to rival the World Bank or Asian Development Bank with stilted events such as Saturday’s, when invited diplomats and journalists applauded politely as the presidents of China and Myanmar and the vice-president of India celebrated a 60-year old agreement that hasn’t always been honoured. The five principles of peaceful co-existence were signed in 1954 with India and Myanmar at the high tide of China’s international diplomatic influence. The Bandung Conference in Indonesia the following year allied a number of newly-independent African and Asian countries in the midst of the Cold War.//full text of Xi’s speech 习近平在和平共处五项原则发表60周年纪念大会上的讲话(全文) 

Related: Chinese president: flexing military muscles does not reflect strength – Xinhua “We should work for a new architecture of Asia-Pacific security cooperation that is open, transparent and equality-based, and bring all countries together in a common endeavor to maintain peace and security in both our region and the world,” Xi said. Myanmar President U Thein Sein and Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari participated in the commemoration and delivered speeches. Also present at the commemoration were Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, top legislator Zhang Dejiang and top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng. In 1954, leaders of China, India and Myanmar initiated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which stand for mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.

Hong Kong prepares for mass protest against Beijing control | World news | The Guardian Hong Kong is braced for protests on Tuesday, which organisers expect will draw at least 500,000 people, potentially making it the region’s largest demonstration in recent history. The scale of the protests reflects frustration at Beijing’s plans to choose Hong Kong’s next chief executive. Nearly 800,000 residents – more than a fifth of the city’s electorate – had cast ballots in an unofficial “referendum” as the polls closed on Sunday, according to the vote’s organisers.

Related: Hong Kong’s Democracy Supporters Chafe at Inequality and Beijing’s Sway – NYTimes.com A surge of discontent is washing over this harbor city of 7.2 million people, which has long taken pride in its status as an enclave of free enterprise, free speech and independent courts abutting the Chinese mainland. The immediate conflict is about how to elect Hong Kong’s leader, the chief executive. But the underlying resentment voiced by many here is that the city’s political-business machine is rigged against them.

Related: 依基本法正确处理中央与香港特区的关系 ——一论全面贯彻“一国两制”方针政策 Page 1 People’s Daily Monday on correctly handling the relationship between The Center and Hong kong According to the Basic Law //  “一国两制”是全新的事业,既开启了香港的新纪元,也是国家发展的重要组成部分。不断推进这一伟大实践,必须处理好中央和特别行政区的关系。只有全面准确贯彻“一国两制”方针,严格按照基本法办事,把维护中央全面管治权和保障特区高度自治权有机结合起来,才能更好地维护特别行政区制度健康运行,保障香港居民的基本权利和自由,促进香港繁荣稳定。

Related: Democracy and auditing | China Accounting Blog | Paul Gillis The arrogance of the firms is stunning. Did they really think their voice would alter the debate? Do they really think people respect their opinions that much? Did they not see that all they were doing is setting themselves up for ridicule while diminishing their brand worldwide?  The most important question is whether they have impaired their independence on their clients such that they can no longer serve as auditors. Hong Kong follows International Auditing Standards (IAS). The rules for independence of auditors are set forth in The Handbook of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (The Handbook).

Related: Chinese Media: Beware American ‘Cultural Products’ A June 25 opinion piece in pro-Communist Party newspaper Global Times titled “Who Is Truly the Black Hand Behind Hong Kong Independence?” insists that U.S. skullduggery lies behind a non-binding Hong Kong referendum on universal suffrage…The article flails at a wide array of U.S. targets — including the CIA, the non-profit National Endowment for Democracy, and the think tank American Enterprise Institute — before setting its crosshair on Hollywood’s Cloud Atlas and Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, the latest installment in the U.S. superhero franchise. The Global Times writes that the two films demonstrate how “Westerners not only engage in ideological struggle” with China, but “package their ideology into cultural products” that Chinese then “unconsciously consume.”

China Official Cancels Appearances After Protests in Taiwan – WSJ Hong Kong really a dilemma for Beijing, mishandling it will cause huge problems for its Taiwan strategy // China’s top cross-strait negotiator, in Taiwan on a landmark visit, canceled three public appearances at the last minute Saturday after protests against his bridge-building trip turned violent. Zhang Zhijun, head of Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, is the first ministerial-level Chinese official to set foot on Taiwanese soil after both sides split 65 years ago. Mr. Zhang’s office said his four-day trip, which started on Wednesday, is to “listen to the voice of the Taiwanese people at the grass root level” as both sides strive for further reconciliation.

New Megacity to Include Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei With Population of 130 Million | Nanfang Insider The announcement of the new ring road is part of a very complicated proposed transportation network concisely summarized with the numerically-significant name “28488″. This transportation network will serve as the backbone linking cities of the three areas together. Furthermore, Gao called for more light rail and subway lines to be extended to Hebei. Caijing predicts the transportation grid serving Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei to be fully inter-connected by 2020. The idea of a Beijing supercity is sure to bring dividends if successful. SCMP describes President Xi Jinping’s ambition to turn the urban areas of Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin and its 130 million people into a single megacity as Xi’s “legacy” project. Estimates place the price of amalgamation to be  RMB 42 trillion.

JENSEN, Utah: China’s hungry cattle feasting on alfalfa grown on Utah farm | Asia | McClatchy DC It’s easy to find the largest Chinese-owned hay farm in the United States. It sits 189 miles east of Salt Lake City, on a stunningly scenic bend of the Green River. After driving past the only gas station in Jensen, population 400, a visitor crosses the river, turns left and is soon surrounded by a meticulously managed, 22,000-acre ranch, lush with green alfalfa. Nearly all of it is destined for China. Three years ago, a pair of Chinese entrepreneurs purchased this alfalfa farm for a discount price of less than $10 million

Sex tape adds to murk of GSK China scandal – FT.com may be a worrying revelation for some other expat managers? And why did Reilly return to China, and what inducements did GSK give him? this rumor been going around for a while, one version had it that the woman was paid by the exec for her services. Guess girlfriend better…how many expat execs now calling around for bug sweep services?  //  It was sent anonymously by email to several senior GSK executives, including chief executive Sir Andrew Witty, in March 2013 along with allegations that the company was paying kickbacks to doctors and officials for using GSK drugs, according to people familiar with the situation…GSK authorised Mr Reilly to hire Peter Humphrey, a British private detective based in China, to investigate the origin of the video in April 2013, according to people familiar with the matter, which was viewed by the company as a serious security breach. Mr Humpreys did not establish who planted a camera in Mr Reilly’s bedroom…

Related: Sex, drugs and videotape | The Sunday Times $$ The Sunday Times broke the story, paywalled  //  Until 18 months ago, a forceful, elegant Chinese woman called Vivian Shi enjoyed the multinational life in Shanghai as head of government affairs for the British drugs giant Glaxo Smith Kline. It was a well-paid whirlwind of lavish official banquets, cocktail receptions and corporate events. But all that came to an end when Glaxo made a fateful decision to part company with her. Shi, 49, was well connected. Her family was part of the Shanghai communist elite. She had science degrees from two prestigious Chinese universities and an MBA from Webster University in America.

People’s Daily urged to strengthen “core values” publicity – Xinhua | English.news.cn Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan on Sunday visited the People’s Daily and asked the newspaper to strengthen publicizing the “socialist core values.”。。The core socialist values refer to the national goals of prosperity, democracy, civility and harmony; social goals of freedom, equality, justice and the rule of law; and individual values of patriotism, dedication, integrity and friendship.Liu also urged the newspaper to innovate reporting style and develop the new media to enhance its influence.// Sunday CCTV Evening News on Liu Yunshan’s June 29 visit to People’s Daily 刘云山在人民日报社调研强调扎实推进社会主义核心价值观建设 

中央机关部门已开始禁用OFFICE软件 基金坚守四股不动摇_股票频道_证券之星 rumors that Central Government Organs have banned the use of MIcrosoft Office //  中央机关部门已开始禁用OFFICE软件 中证资讯获悉,近期部分中央机关及下属部门已经内部要求停止使用office,转而使用国产办公软件系统。 这是继5月中央要求机关不得安装WIN8系统以后,信息安全执行层面又一个重要举动。 点评:该办法的实施,将直接利好金山软件、中国软件(600536)。前者是WPS系统的开发方,后者是A股唯一一家拥有LINUX操作系统与办公软件业务的企业。(中国证券报)

 

BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE

美国海外查税利好中国反腐 部分银行高管颇为紧张-新闻频道-和讯网 there may be some worried Chinese executives and officials now that the US and PRC are sharing financial account data //

A Journey To China’s Largest Ghost City Zhengzhou a blogger last year debunked the Zhengzhou as ghost city myth, I spent some time there last week. Absolutely not a ghost city anymore, bustling, nearly impossible to find a parking place on a Friday evening. Had tea friday night with a big local developer, I told him that lots of foreign pundits say the new city is a ghost town. First he slammed the table and said something unprintable, then he laughed…there may be plenty of ghost cities, but Zhengzhou’s new city is not one of them, and it is hard to conclude something is a ghost city for 3-5 years, as it can take a while for people and businesses to move in //  At the heart of this freshly minted urban colossus is the Zhengdong CBD, a financial district that was created to be world class. It was designed by Kisho Kurokawa, and has more akin to something a mad architect would see in a dream than actually build in real life. It is laid out on a circular plan, and has two concentric ring roads which make the area look like a giant archery target from above. These two rings are lined with corporate towers, luxury high-rises, and shopping malls, while the bull’s eye is made up of a manmade lake and a park. The area that 60 Minutes shot in surely looked “ghost-like” on film, but when I arrived there I found an entirely different scene. I found a sparkling new financial district that was full of sparkling new cars, well-dressed pedestrians, corporate offices of major businesses, skyscrapers full of occupied offices, expensive coffee houses, laundry hanging in the windows of luxury condos, there were cars parked in nearly every available parking space, and signs of life everywhere. There was nothing desolate about the Zhengdong CBD, it appears to be functioning as planned.

沈阳行政中心成空城 开发商差点在市长会上摔杯子 | 每经网 Shenyang new administrative center an empty city as government can’t decide whether to move there or not…has left many developers hanging, now they want their money back… //  核心提示: 记者在现场看到,高标准建设的沈阳市行政中心目前处于闲置状态,几成空城。不仅如此,行政中心所在的浑南新区商品房成交严重下滑。

China’s external financial assets surpass 6 trln USD – Xinhua China’s external financial assets reached 6.13 trillion U.S. dollars by the end of March this year, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said on Wednesday. External liabilities stood at about 4.14 trillion U.S. dollars by then, the foreign exchange regulator said in a statement on its website. China’s direct investment overseas was 621.5 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 10 percent of external financial assets while reserve assets were registered at 4.01 trillion U.S. dollars, 65 percent of the total amount, the statement said. As regards foreign liabilities, foreign direct investment in China was 2.42 trillion U.S. dollars, 58 percent of the total, the statement said.

Output in bloated steel industry continues to rise – Xinhua Output in China’s steel industry has continued to rise and prices continue to fall, as the government struggles to reduce capacity in the sector. Crude steel production gained 2.7 percent year on year to reach 343 million tonnes in the first five months of the year, although the growth was down 5.3 percentage points from the rate during the same period last year, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in an online report.

China’s Corruption Crackdown Impacts FAI – Business Insider there’s now evidence the continuous crackdown may be contributing to slower economic growth, according to Bank of America’s Ting Lu:

工信部编制中国制造2025规划:剑指工业强国_21世纪网 MIIT preparing 2025 “Made in China” plan //  据悉,此次规划的关键词与“向工业强国转型”相关,并将形成注重顶层设计的 《中国制造2025》,再加上重点行业、领域和区域规划的“1+x”模式。

Daily chart: Outward and upward | The Economist IN AN unprecedented shift, Chinese companies are on the cusp of investing more in the rest of the world than the world invests in China. This turning point in global capital flows could be reached “within two years”, according to projections from the UNCTAD’s World Investment Report released this week

建立规范透明有约束力的地方政府融资机制(学习贯彻十八届三中全会精神)–财经–人民网 PBoC Deputy Governor Pan Gongsheng in Monday’s People’s daily on building a transparent, binding local government financing mechanism…part of the studying and implementing spirit of 3rd plenum series that runs on page 7

 

POLITICS AND LAW

广州市委书记万庆良被调查(更新) _政经频道_财新网 more from Caixin on the detention of Guangzhou Party Secretary Wan Qingliang, may be related to the Jieyang case…CCDI apparently took him away in the iddle of a meeting with his top city leadership…CCDI maintaining remarkable secrecy now, almost like it is an arm of a secret police… //  万庆良在梅州从政15年后,于2000年出任共青团广东省委书记。3年后,万庆良团干部转业。他先后担任揭阳市委副书记、市长、市委书记、市人大常委会党组书记等职,并于2008年1月当选广东省副省长,成为广东副省长中唯一一位“60后”。在广东省近年的反腐行动显示,揭阳是一大窝案重地。原揭阳市委书记陈弘平于2013年被广东省纪委调查,此后被开除党籍和公职。此后包括常务副市长刘盛发、副市长郑松标在内的多名市领导先后接受调查。接近广东省纪委的人士曾透露,陈弘平的涉案金额“恐刷新近年官员贪腐的纪录”。

[视频]中央党的群众路线教育实践活动领导小组印发《关于在第二批党的群众路线教育实践活动中基层党组织召开专题组织生活会并开展民主评议党员工作的通知》_新闻频道_央视网(cctv.com) Mass Line Education Campaign may be about to get painful for grassroots cadres

Frugality bites as China curbs construction of government buildings | Reuters Under the draft laws, any construction of government offices must be accompanied by feasibility reports and design blueprints, and will require official approvals before construction can begin, state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday, citing the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council. “Buildings with reception functions such as accommodation, meetings and banquets, including those in the name of ‘training centers,’ are off limits,” it said. The regulation will also ban any form of loans from financial institutes, sponsorships and fund-raising for unapproved construction projects.

Social media accounts to educate CPC members – Xinhua | Two social media accounts focused on educating Communist Party of China (CPC) members were launched respectively on instant messaging platforms WeChat and EasyChat [Netease’s 易信] on Friday. The two accounts, “gcdyweixin” on WeChat, and “gdcyyx” on EasyChat, are organized by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee and operated by Xinhuanet.com. The two accounts will feature news concerning Party organizations, introductions to role models for CPC members, updates on the ongoing mass-line campaign that aims to close Party-people ties, as well as general knowledge spanning Chinese classics, history and other humanities.// 新华时评:建好信息时代的网上“党员之家”

少壮派富豪方威落马 惊人“财技”真相曝光_政经频道_财新网 entrepreneur and Hurun list member Fang Wei goes down as part of Su Rong case…interesting details about his empire in this Caixin story

方大总裁方威被罢免全国人大代表 或涉江西落马官员_深度_新京报网 more on the fall of Fang Wei, from The Beijing News

江西新余前市长被指为当书记巴结苏荣妻子于姐_新闻_腾讯网 Su Rong wife’s apparently had a hand in a lot of deals //  [摘要]2009年,新余高专老校区300余亩土地对外公开拍卖。浙江商人陈建男为能便宜拿地,把苏荣妻子“于姐”请到新余找当时新余市长李安泽,李安泽为能当上市委书记巴结“于姐”擅自中断停止拍卖程序。

那些神秘存在的“龙夫人” 对江西政商两界的人士而言,“于姐”是一个神秘的存在,就像苏轼笔下的庐山。 “于姐是谁?”虽然官拜江西省新余市人大常委会主任,周建华直到2011年才从浙江籍商人陈建男的嘴里得知,“于姐就是苏书记的爱人啊!”还得进一步解释,苏书记就是时任江西省委书记苏荣,后来贵为全国政协副主席。

Beijing to boost police gun training amid security threats | Reuters The vice minister of public security and head of Beijing’s Public Security Bureau, Fu Zhenghua, urged officers to increase security in the city as he visited police stations and SWAT checkpoints along Beijing’s main thoroughfare, Chang’an Avenue, on Saturday. Police must be ready to “deal a deadly blow to enemies at the critical time”, the official Xinhua news agency cited Fu as saying in a report on Sunday.

Which crime did “Qin Huohuo” commit?- Discussion of the criminal liability of dissemination of rumors over the Internet – Lexology The Interpretations promulgated by the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on September 2013, Certain Issues Concerning the Application of the Law to the Disposition of Cases Involving Defamation Via Information Networks and Other Criminal Offenses (the “Interpretations”) provide something approaching a certain legal basis via detailed regulations concerning certain acts of Internet rumor dissemination. Based on the Interpretations and cases that might involve criminal liability, Internet rumor dissemination might be characterized as (1) the crime of Illegal Business Operations (Article 225) the crime of Defamation (Article 246), the crime of Fabrication and Intentional Dissemination of False Terrorism Information (Article 291) or the crime of Provoking Trouble (Article 293). In the following section I’d like to discuss whether Internet rumor dissemination should be regarded as a crime.

“庸官”童名谦治下惊人串案 quite the sordid tale of a corrupt official //  编者按:最高检察院6月23日通报,湖南省政协原副主席童名谦涉嫌玩忽职守案,已由北京市检察院第二分院提起公诉。童名谦被指控在任职期间“严重不负责任”,致使衡阳市选举湖南省人大代表发生严重贿选。 问题不止于衡阳。梳理童名谦从政轨迹,无论是湘西泛滥成灾的民间集资,还是邵阳的官场乱象,作为主政者的童名谦,都选择了回避甚至放纵。守住“为人之德”,却丧失“为官之德”,这是“童名谦式悲剧”的最大教训。 湘西的非法集资在童名谦当州委书记的5年期间泛滥成灾,曾有省领导提出处分他的动议,但不了了之。 三名花了钱落选的老板讨要说法,童名谦批示将钱款予以退还。“正常的做法是,当场拍桌子,批示调查,哪有批示退钱了事的?”

Uighur Scholar Will Fight Charges of Separatism in China, Lawyer Says – NYTimes.com The meeting with his two defense lawyers brought the first word conveyed from Mr. Tohti since he was detained in January and arrested in February on charges of inciting separatism, an accusation condemned by international human rights groups and Chinese rights advocates. They have said Mr. Tohti advocated peaceful change in Xinjiang, the far-western region of China that has been increasingly torn by tensions pitting ethnic Uighurs, a Muslim Turkic-speaking people, against the government and China’s ethnic Han majority. Mr. Tohti is adamant that the charges are spurious, said Li Fangping, one of his lawyers, who met with him for nearly five hours in a detention center in Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang.

[视频]我们的传家宝:父亲的一块手表_新闻频道_央视网(cctv.com) Jiao Yulu’s watch gets the top 6 minutes of the Sunday CCTV Evening News…family heriloom returned to his daughter by the reporter

盘点各部门审计报告:发改委开一个会超标163万元 _社会万象 _光明网 lots of examples of bad behavior on the National Audit Office’s report…aggressively naming and shaming NDRC and central SOEs //  23个部门账务处理不规范或报表填列错误,涉及金额23.69亿元;预算编报不规范、政府采购规定执行不严格、资产管理及会计核算不规范等问题金额57.66亿元…… 审计署6月25日公布的38个中央部门2013年度预算执行和其他财政收支审计情况,采购违规、超预算列费用、过度福利成为其中“刺眼”的发现。通过这份报告,“中国网事”记者梳理出中央部门预算执行十大顽疾,同时,进一步发现了更多“秘闻”。

China sends dissidents on free holidays | World news | theguardian.com Activists tell of ‘being travelled’ – sent on lavish trips, chaperoned by police – to keep them out of the government’s way

揭秘《新闻联播》政治学 是否有上镜背后的大有文章_福建频道_凤凰网 interesting look at CCTV Evening News..recent retirement of the two lead anchors deserve more attention that it has gotten… //  【揭秘《新闻联播》政治学】揭秘《新闻联播》政治学,是否有上镜背后的大文章。6月26日讯据《廉政瞭望》报道作为公众“直通中南海”的窗口,《新闻联播》被赋予了特殊意义。头条的安排,排名顺序,镜头停留多长,都被津津乐道地讨论。有人甚至总结:“一些活动谁出现了并不重要。重要的是谁没出现。”“各位观众,我俩的《新闻联播》播送完了,感谢收看!”5月28日,央视新闻中心播音部主任、51岁的李瑞英及同事、53岁的张宏民确认将退居幕后。这一消息引发“怀旧潮”,网友纷纷感叹时光飞逝,并作出上述调侃。《新闻联播》这一中国最具影响力的电视节目,少有地被置于舆论中心。

China recalls prisoners serving terms outside jails – Xinhua | China has recalled 247 criminals who are serving sentences outside the jail back into prison, as they were found to have not met the requirement for out-of-prison serving any more. Among them are 18 former officials at or above the level of a deputy department head, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) revealed on Sunday. Some of these criminals were canceled the remission of serving terms out of prison for they had been found to have gained the serving mode by illegal means, such as offering bribery, according to the top procuratorate.

中国多地试行不合格党员退出机制_网易新闻中心 2014年6月10日,中共中央办公厅印发《中国共产党发展党员工作细则》,已试行24年的《中国共产党发展党员工作细则(试行)》转正。最新的《细则》中首次明确提出:发展党员工作要按照控制总量、优化结构、提高质量、发挥作用的总要求,坚持党章规定的党员标准,始终把政治标准放在首位;坚持慎重发展、均衡发展。 成立93年并已执政65年的中国共产党目前拥有逾8600万名党员。如此庞大的党员队伍,要始终如一保持先进性,就需要不断改革进取。

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

US: China’s behavior offshore hurts its standing--AP China’s coercive efforts to enforce its territorial claims in disputed waters are not just raising tensions but damaging its international standing, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. Top diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Russel, was speaking at a congressional hearing, two weeks ahead of high-level talks in Beijing, where he said Washington would seek to build “strategic trust” with China and economic cooperation, but would also push for the release of political prisoners. Appearing before lawmakers, Russel criticized China’s recent actions in the East and South China Seas which he said had left its neighbors “understandably alarmed.”

Spotlight: Xi’s upcoming visit to South Korea to enhance strategic partnership – Xinhua Two-way trade between China and South Korea surpassed 270 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, an increase of 7 percent year-on-year, equating to South Korea’s trade volume with the United States and Japan combined. China is South Korea’s No.1 trading partner, largest export destination and import source, as well as its No.1 destination of overseas investment. As for South Korea, it is China’s third largest trading partner and third largest source of foreign direct investment. To build up such momentum, Xi’s upcoming visit will provide opportunity for the two sides to further deepen economic and trade cooperation by identifying the converging points in their respective long-term economic strategies and exploring new cooperation potentials. In particular, the visit is expected to greatly advance the negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).

Japan, China agree to boost people-to-people exchanges – 毎日新聞 Japanese transport minister Akihiro Ota on Friday agreed with Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong that the two countries will expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges, although bilateral relations have been badly damaged over territorial and historical issues. It is the first time a Japanese minister has visited Beijing since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government was formed in December 2012.

New Signs That China Is Scrutinizing Foreign NGOs – NYTimes.com A person working at a Western nongovernmental organization said it was evident that something was happening, but that it was unclear what the implications would be. Nor was this an entirely new experience, he said, declining to be named for reasons of political sensitivity. The Communist Party has long harbored suspicions about the intentions of such organizations (even while accepting free training and help in certain areas).

习近平接见第五次全国边海防工作会议代表 李克强张高丽参加_要闻_新闻_中国政府网 习近平在接见第五次全国边海防工作会议代表时强调 强化忧患意识使命意识大局意识 努力建设强大稳固的现代边海防 李克强张高丽参加// Xinhua-Xi Jinping stresses building strong frontier defense 

PLA may use Haiyan UUV against Vietnamese frogmen||WantChinaTimes Amid ongoing tensions between China and Vietnam over the disputed South China Sea, the People’s Liberation Army will likely deploy the Haiyan autonomous underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) to hunt for enemy combat divers (frogmen) and prevent the special forces from sabotaging Chinese oil rigs in the region, reports the state-run China Internet Information Center.

Ma Won-chun: Senior Kim Aide Appears in Beijing | Sino-NK China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, will be making a trip to Seoul to meet South Korean President Park Geun-hye on July 3-4. There is a going to be a huge amount on the agenda in Seoul, and not a small amount of bilateral progress to discuss. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of Jang Sung-taek’s summary execution, North Korea appeared to move the goalposts on its Special Economic Zones with China, launched rockets that threatened Chinese commercial airliners, and required the PRC’s Foreign Minister to talk about “red lines.” While the overall outlook has been rather unencouraging, Chinese-North Korean relations have not been at an absolute standstill this calendar year. Small steps are being taken to keep the relationship and its various facets intact. The North Korean Ambassador in Beijing, Ji Jae-ryong, wasn’t purged along with Jang Sung-taek; he recently showed up at a party as well as as being guest of honor at a performance of the China Song and Dance Ensemble just before that group headed to the DPRK for more than a week

The Illusion of Chinese Power | The National Interest David Shambaugh is very bearish on China..He seems quite ambitious in DC, curious why he has never gotten an administration job  //  CONVENTIONAL WISDOM has it that the China juggernaut is unstoppable and that the world must adjust to the reality of the Asian giant as a—perhaps the—major global power. A mini-industry of “China rise” prognosticators has emerged over the past decade, all painting a picture of a twenty-first-century world in which China is a dominant actor. This belief is understandable and widespread—but wrong.

U.S. navy commander visits Chinese fleet participating in drill – Xinhua Accompanied by Zhao Xiaogang, drill director of the Chinese fleet, Vice Admiral Kenneth E. Floyd, commander of the U.S. Third Fleet, visited missile destroyer Haikou, missile frigate Yueyang, supply ship Qiandaohu and hospital ship Peace Ark. The Chinese fleet has been well-prepared for this year’s drill and the Chinese navy is willing to continue to join RIMPAC exercises in the future, Zhao said. For his part, Floyd, also commander of the 2014-RIMPAC, said the United States would continue to invite the Chinese navy to the biennial naval exercise.// pictures, on People’s Daily website 

军工科研院所改制望破冰 或将引爆A股下一热点-产业-中国证券网 restructuring of military defense complex,, listing of some of the assets more than just a business story. As in the US and other countries, so much money to be made from military industrial complex, China no different, military buildup has many interests supporting it, appears to be just getting started… //  随着近年来几大军工集团相关军品资产证券化步伐的加快,市场已将关注的焦点逐渐转向质地良好的军工科研院所资产。首届中国军工产融年会传递的信息表明,有关科研院所改制的试点方案已上报有关部门,未来方案获批后,军工科研院所改制工作有望破冰。

 

TECH AND MEDIA

China Film Bureau Boss Urges Local Industry to ‘Prepare for War With Hollywood’ The powerful government regulator urged theater owners to lessen the screen time for “Transformers: Age of Extinction” when it comes out next month to benefit local productions. China Film Bureau chief Zhang Hongsen said the country’s film business is at war with Hollywood and needs to dramatically up its game if it is to survive when the quota for foreign film imports is raised in four years’ time.

Video sharing site’s license revoked for copyright infringement – Xinhua The license of value-added telecom service of Chinese video sharing site QVOD has been revoked over copyright infringement, the Guangdong provincial telecommunications administration said Saturday. Shenzhen QVOD Technology Co., Ltd. can no longer be engaged in telecom service after the withdrawal of its license, the administration said. According to the administration, QVOD has violated regulations of telecom service management. The company was informed of an administrative penalty on Thursday, and on the same day it was ordered to pay a fine of 260 million yuan (41.6 million U.S. dollars).

Tencent Buys 20% of China’s 58.com for $736 Million – Bloomberg The investment in 58.com, which provides online classified ads, will expand the choice of local services and merchants available to Tencent users, according to the statement. The tie-up will help build 58.com’s user base by capturing traffic from Shenzhen-based Tencent’s messaging services WeChat and QQ, the companies said.//stock surged day before the news, looks like people tipped off, so obvious wonder if SEC will take a look

Jack Ma-owned Company to Acquire Stake in Chinese Fintech Service Provider Hundsun | TechNode In a regular press conference held by Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on June 17th, spokesperson Shen Danyang said that MOFCOM has established the case on June 4th of the acquisition of a 100% stake in Hangzhou Hundsun Technologies Group Co. Ltd. (Hundsun Group) by Zhejiang Rongxin Network Technology Co. Ltd., a company that is 99.1% controlled by Ma. The acquisition is currently being reviewed by MOFCOM in compliance with the Anti-Monopoly Law of China, as the proposed transaction has potentially triggered the “Concentration of Business Operators” clause.

Whose Dream Is Disturbed by the WeChat E-business? | Huxiu Liu Qiangdong must be worried right now. Just two days ago, Tencent claimed to give JD the first-class entrance of WeChat and Mobile QQ, in order to help JD arrange its mobile E-business. Some cities have witnessed those entrances. It is surprising that Tencent no sooner gave JD the first-class entrance of WeChat than its own WeChat Shop was to open. Actually, it is wishful thinking for JD to expect a surge in trafficking flow by WeChat. The significance of the first-class entrance of WeChat and Mobile QQ is at most raising the expected value of the IPO of JD  //  I own a little JD and think I am going to sell it..this, several bad customer experiences i have recently had, the excessive insider enrichment in run up to the IPO and continued reports of the CEO flying around the world with his girlfriend, rather than minding the shop in Beijing

China’s app leaderboard shows Tencent’s decisive edge over Alibaba in mobile – Quartz The data compiled by research firm Enfodesk shows the dominance of Tencent’s flagship WeChat app, which began as a simple messaging service but has grown into an all-encompassing e-commerce platform that offers everything from booking taxis to providing financial services. Not far behind is Tencent’s simpler QQ messaging app and a QQ-branded music service and web browser. + Alibaba’s UCWeb browser and the app for its flagship Taobao e-commerce site are quite a ways behind, with less than 100 million users each.

新华网启动IPO募资14亿-搜狐IT Xinhua News files to go public in Shanghai, did 6.05B RMB in revenue in 2013, 960M in profit// 招股书显示,新华网此次拟发行5190.29万新股,占发行后总股本的25%,拟募资总额为14.97亿元。募资主要用于新华网全媒体信息及应用服务云平台项目、新华网政务类大数据智能分析系统项目、新华网新媒体应用技术研发中心项目、新华网在线教育项目等。 招股书中首次公布了新华社的业绩,截至2013年12月31日,新华社的总资产为116.96亿元,2013年全年,新华社收入为60.54亿元,营业利润为9.6亿元。 招股书显示,新华网股份有限公司于2000年成立,公司主营业务包括网络广告业务、信息服务业务、网站建设及技术服务业务、移动互联网业务。新华社通过直接、间接等形式,累计持有新华网88%的股份。

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Is Work Killing You? In China, Workers Die at Their Desks – Bloomberg China is facing an epidemic of overwork, to hear the state-controlled press and Chinese social media tell it. About 600,000 Chinese a year die from working too hard, according to the China Youth Daily. China Radio International in April reported a toll of 1,600 every day. Microblogging website Weibo is filled with complaints about stressed-out lives and chatter about reports of others, young and old, worked to death

Champion of Chinese farmers’ rights jailed for forging official documents | World news | The Guardian She had everything you might want in an official: brains, diligence and an air of authority. She wielded the seals of office with both confidence and compassion. Unfortunately, Zhang Haixin lacked the government job to match these attributes. On Friday a court in the province of Henan, in central China, jailed the 46-year-old farmer for two years for fabricating seals and forging official documents. Her friends Ma Xianglan and Wang Liangshuang were sentenced to 10 and eight months respectively.

前上海男篮副总疑炮轰姚明:下三滥 你也是件商品_网易体育 Yao Ming taking some flack for bringing NBA approach to personnel moves to the CBA //  巴西世界杯正如火如荼地进行,与此同时,包括CBA联赛在内的各项赛事也都在按部就班地准备着。近来CBA最受关注的事情无疑是刘炜转投新疆,而专家、球迷针对此事也是议论纷纷,近日前上海男篮副总经理钱安柯在自己的微博上发声,矛头似乎直指姚明。

小三遭原配当街泼汽油点火 被活活烧死(图)_新闻_腾讯网 spurned wife in Kunming douses husband’s mistress in gasoline, burns her to death on a Kunming street. disturbing video of the event

图片报道–观点–人民网 People’s Daily cartoonist goes after illegal construction of golf courses…the PD cartoons are often quite good  //  国家级贫困县陕西柞水县建奢华高尔夫球场,贵州独山县紫林山国家森林公园改建高尔夫球场……尽管从2004年开始,国家陆续下达了近10个针对高尔夫球场建设的禁令,但一些地方仍有未批先建、违规审批高尔夫球场现象。专家指出,必须加大监管力度,提高违法成本,遏制新建高尔夫球场的冲动

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Beijing: From Hardship Post To Plum Assignment And Back Again : NPR When it comes to air quality in China, though, nothing is certain. Last December, Shanghai suffered several days of suffocating pollution that horrified the city’s 24 million residents. Foreigners who could afford to stay home did so, and blasted their air filters. “In Shanghai, perhaps we have been sort of lulled into a sense of confidence that this wouldn’t bother us in the future,” says Kenneth Jarrett, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. “But that’s no longer the case. So, it was really, very much a wake-up call.”

浙江要求领导下河“试水” 确保水质持续向好_新闻_腾讯网 Zhejiang officials told to go swimming in rivers to show citizens that water quality is ok and improving //  据中广网报道 “群众对水质标准的认知,不是用数据来了解的,而是通过可饮用、可游泳来判断,更应以领导干部以身试水来检验。”浙江“可游泳河段”申报活动日前启动,在6月26日举行的申报活动的视频会议上,浙江省人大副主任茅临生表示。 浙江要求领导干部要下河游泳给群众看,在确认为可游泳的河段里,全省各级人大常委会将组织进行横渡或畅游活动。

BBC News – Growing pains of China’s agricultural water needs China’s scarce water supply is being wasted as crops grown in water-stressed provinces are exported to wet, rainfall-rich areas, a study reports. Farming accounts for about 65% of water use in China and the limited resource is coming under pressure from rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. Officials have called the nation’s water shortage a “grave situation” and called for strict water controls. The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

BEIJING

Doubling of Beijing’s cancer rate spurs pollution fears – MarketWatch any data on how much of this is from more people getting chekups/better awareness?  //  Some 40,307 new cases of cancer were reported in China’s capital in 2012, according to statistics from Beijing’s city government released Thursday. That works out at about 110 people a day being diagnosed with cancer. The number has almost doubled from 10 years ago, which saw 63 new diagnoses a day on average, according to an official at Beijing’s Cancer Research and Control Office.

 

JOBS AND EVENTS

INK STUDIO【Vacancies 招聘】- Beijing friends with the owner, excellent, up and coming gallery// Ink Studio is looking for an energetic and well-organized person to play an integral role in the development and maintenance of the gallery’s social media presence and press outreach. The role requires working with gallery Artists, Directors, and the Exhibition Manager to maximize the gallery’s social media presence via Facebook, Weibo, WeChat and other online platforms. The candidate will also be responsible for maintaining the gallery’s digital and physical press archive and the press, news and audio/video sections of the gallery’s website.

 

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